American Archivist

Alex Poole Receives Award for Article in American Archivist
Alex Poole, assistant professor at Drexel University’s College of Computing and Informatics, received the 2018 Bob Williams History Fund Research Paper Award from the Association for Information Science and Technology for his article, “Harold T. Pinkett and the Lonely Crusade of African American Archivists in the Twentieth Century,” which appeared in American Archivist Vol. 80.2. Of the article, the jury said, “Poole’s fascinating and well-researched account of the role of African Americans in the development of archives in the United States addresses a much-neglected topic of diverse contributions to archival theory and practice.” Read the award-winning article here

The Society of American Archivists is pleased to introduce Christopher A. “Cal” Lee as the next Editor of The American Archivist. Lee, a tenured professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) School of Information and Library Science, will serve a three-year term beginning January 2018. The American Archivist, established in 1938 and published semi-annually, is the premier professional journal in the archives field.

Interested in free copies of past issues of The American Archivist for you or your SAA student chapter? Contact Abigail Christian at achristian@archivists.org with a mailing address and number of students within your chapter—we’ll send a surprise assortment of issues published in the last decade, courtesy of SAA. Peruse timeless articles, discover new ones, and enjoy having a good resource in hand.

Are you an avid reader of the professional literature? Are you a published author? Do you have experience as an editor? Do you get excited about nurturing new and veteran voices? Are you brimming with ideas for expanding this journal’s readership?

Established in 1938, The American Archivist is the leading publication in the archives field. Published semi-annually by the Society of American Archivists, this refereed journal is available online and in print. The journal features research articles, case studies, perspectives, and international scene pieces as well as reviews of professional literature, archival technologies, and resources.

SAA seeks a dynamic individual with excellent communication skills who will enhance the visibility of The American Archivist in the archives and allied professional communities, and grow the number of high-quality submissions. The Editor is responsible for the solicitation, selection, peer review, and final approval of articles, and features. She or he will use PeerTrack (an author- and reviewer-friendly manuscript submission and peer review system) to work with authors and prospective authors on necessary revisions. In addition, the Editor and works closely with the reviews editor, a copyeditor, an indexer, and the SAA staff (who handle journal production and business matters). The Editor also coordinates the activities of The American Archivist Editorial Board, serves ex officio on the Publications Board, and reports to the SAA Council. The position carries with it an annual honorarium.

Candidates should possess the following qualifications:

Demonstrated leadership skills that allow her or him to present a vision of the journal that places it at the center of the profession’s intellectual dialog.

Demonstrated ability to develop and nurture relationships with authors, both established and newly emerging, to encourage them to explore interesting questions and submit material to the journal.

Ability to nurture intriguing but not completely satisfactory submissions to successful publication.

Ability and willingness to pay special attention to the need to develop ideas in emerging areas of the profession, support the thoughtful reexamination of past professional insights, and address issues of particular relevance to historically underrepresented populations.

Excellent personal communication and writing skills, including the ability to edit scholarly material, the ability to communicate successfully with those who make submissions, and the ability to report to those in SAA with oversight responsibility for the journal.

Sufficient financial and time-management skills to complete tasks in an acceptable manner and, most importantly, to publish the journal at appropriate and regular intervals as established within the annual budget work plan.

The term of the current Editor, Greg Hunter, expires on December 31, 2017. His successor, who will serve a three-year term, will begin work no later than January 1, 2018.

Interviews of finalists will be conducted in May 2017. Submit letter of interest and curriculum vitae by April 14, 2017, to saahq@archivists.org and in subject line state “Application for Editor of The American Archivist.”